The league matches of IPL came to an end after 56 exhilarating matches. The eleventh season of IPL which has commenced on 27th of April has completed the lion’s share of the tournament giving way to the playoff matches. Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals have entered the playoffs along with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings.
As is IPL’s customary, the first match of the playoffs, called Qualifier-1 will take place between the highest point earners SRH and CSK. This match will take place on 22nd May 2018 in Wankhede Stadium of Mumbai. The second match which is called Eliminator-1 will take place between the next point earners KKR and RR. KKR and RR are in third and fourth positions in the points table with 16 and 14 points each. The Eliminator match will take place on 23rd May 2018 in Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Whoever wins in the Qualifier-1 reaches the finals directly. The team that loses in the Qualifier-1 gets another shot at entering the finals by playing against the winning team of Eliminator match. This match called the Qualifier 2, takes place on 25th May in the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Here’s some information about the matches in Qualifier-1 and the Eliminator matches.
CSK vs SRH
The Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings have been the best performers in the IPL 2018 so, far. With 18 points each both the teams won the same number of matches in the Leagues and now stand holding a positive run rate of 0.284 and 0.253 respectively.
The two teams have played 2 matches against each other so far in the leagues and CSK stood victorious in both of them. Both the teams consist of excellent players. Chennai is under the leadership of former Indian Captain MS Dhoni and SRH is being led by New Zealand Batsman Kane Williamson. The two captains have been successful in getting their teams to the Qualifiers but due to CSK’s previous victories against SRH, CSK has an upper hand psychologically.
T20 matches are highly unpredictable. All it takes is one over to change the entire match upside down. So, given the history of SRH, their consistent performance in the Leagues and their breathtaking bowling squad, SRH still holds a pretty good chance over CSK. The previous losses if serves as a colossal motivator, SRH can defeat CSK in the Qualifier-1.
Both SRH and CSK hold enough firepower to defeat each other which means the match is going to be an edge of the seat action for the audience. Catch this thrilling game between SRH and CSK at 07 00 PM IST, 22rd May, on YuppTV in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Continental Europe (Except UK), South America and South East Asia.
KKR vs RR
It is needless to say that the match is crucial to both the teams and that it will be a cutthroat battle. The two teams have already battled against each other previously in the league matches, and Kolkata won in both of them.
Both the teams comprise of wonderful players and almost share an equal level of strengths and weaknesses. Players from KKR hold good positions among the top 10 Bowling lists. KKR Players like Kuldeep Yadav and Sunil Narine are among the highest wicket-takers while Nitish Rana holds a good bowling economy. RR players Jofra Archer and JayadevUnadkat hold good positions among the wicket-takers while Krishnappa Gowtham and Ben Stokes are in the best Bowling Economies list.
Among the Batsmen too, RR and KKR Rajasthan comprise of equally talented players. RR players Jos Butler, Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi are among the top run scorers in the lists while KKR has Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, and Sunil Narine among the list.
Though the teams stumbled along the way, they made it to the qualifiers and this can be a major motivator for the teams as it restores the hope of winning the trophy. This can make the match super thrilling which is what every cricket fan waits for in Cricket tournaments.
Watch the Eliminator match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at 07 00 PM IST on Wednesday, 23rd May 2018 on YuppTV from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Continental Europe, South America and South East Asia.
